Here For You
by Angel of Neptune
Summary: Ruby goes to comfort Mary Margaret in a situation she knows all too well. (Takes place during 2x17: Welcome to Storybrooke)


**Title**: Here For You

**Author:** AoN

**Word Count:** 1,600

**Genre:** Comfort

**Rating:** PG-13

**Feedback:** Please and thank you! Let me know what I'm doing right or doing wrong.

**Summary:** Ruby goes to comfort Mary Margaret in a situation she knows all too well. (Takes place during 2x17: Welcome to Storybrooke)

The door of the diner swung open, its jingling bell alerting Ruby of new entering customers. She looked up from the counter she had been wiping clean and saw Henry dragging himself inside with his backpack slung over one shoulder, Emma trailing along behind him. That was her cue she had been given only minutes before, she was up.

Grabbing a serving tray, Ruby fetched the order that had not been given too long ago. Balancing the cold, sweet treat on the tray with the ease that came with twenty-eight cursed years of experience, Ruby rounded the bar that she had been standing behind, and walked across the diner, to the booth where Henry joined Neal. "One sundae with extra everything," Ruby said with a smile, picking up the sundae from her tray and placing it in front of Henry. For a split second, Ruby could see the excitement light up in his eyes; the kid who was not allowed to eat sweets under the mayor's care was facing a concoction that would give him a sugar rush for days, at the very least.

"Thanks, Ruby, you're the best," Neal replied with a small wink.

Ruby's only response was her continued forced smile, one which turned into a slight smirk as she turned around and head, "Extra everything? I know a bribe when I see one." Clever boy. She crossed back over to the bar where Emma had taken a momentary seat and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"One small coffee, please, Ruby," Emma ordered. "To go."

"Coming right up," Ruby nodded as she pulled her hand back and made her way behind the counter once more. She grabbed both the to-go cup and the fresh pot of hot coffee, which she poured in front of Emma. "Is that going to be all?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah," she murmured as a second thought.

Placing the now full cup in front of Emma, Ruby set the coffee pot aside and pushed over the small canister of sugar packets towards Emma, who only took two. Ruby had seen the sheriff many times take her coffee much sweeter, when there weren't other wandering eyes to see her take a small handful of packets from the very same canister.

"So, how is she?"

"Hmm?" Emma looked up as she poured the contents of the ripped packets into her coffee.

"Mary Margaret," Ruby clarified. "How is she?"

Emma's shoulders fell slightly as she released a small sigh. After a moment, Emma shook her head. "It's really getting to her. She won't speak to any of us," she answered, standing up from her seat.

Ruby bit down on her lip and lowered her head. "My shift's over soon," Ruby pointed out. Although she hated coming in first thing in the morning, Ruby had to admit, getting off by noon had its own benefits. Ruby had the rest of the day ahead of her, of which she would be spending comforting a major part of the makeshift family she had created for herself.

She didn't even have to finish her statement.

"Maybe it'll do her some good seeing you," Emma agreed.

Before Ruby could reply, a man – Greg – came up behind Emma, carrying his plate of leftovers. "Can I get a doggie bag for this?"

**xxxx**

It had taken a bit of unnecessary persuasion, to Ruby's annoyance, not only to convince Mr. Gold to let her see Mary Margaret ('I'm afraid she's not taking any visitors at the moment, dearie.' 'Luckily, I'm a friend, not a visitor. Move.'), but also have him step outside, considering that the open floor plan of the apartment did not allow for much privacy. She may have told him, perhaps with a bit too much snark, that his protection would serve them better in the hallway, so that he could stop any intruder before they could reach the front door. The lack of sleep that came from working a morning shift and not enough caffeine created a sense of bravery in Ruby that Granny always referred to as a bad attitude in need for a fine adjustment.

Hearing the click of the door closing behind her, Ruby sighed lightly and peered into the bedroom. Mary Margaret was curled up into a tight ball on the bed, lying on her side, with her back facing Ruby. She must have heard her knock, her little conversation with Gold; there was nothing that could potential block any sound from reaching every corner of the apartment, but yet she still had not greeted or even acknowledged Ruby's existence – not that Ruby had expected it.

'She won't speak to any of us,' Ruby remembered Emma saying at the diner.

And that was okay. They didn't need to talk.

Ruby quietly made her way into the bedroom. She sat down on the edge of the mattress and waited for any form of discontent or protest. When none came, Ruby kicked off her boots and scooted herself farther onto the bed. She leaned back against the headboard and placed her folded hands on her lap.

The heavy silence shared between the two of them was only broken every now and again by the random creaking of the wooden floorboards, or the rattling of the radiator that turned on and off. Every once in a while, there was a thud of what Ruby assumed was Mr. Gold's cane hitting the floorboard as he probably paced back and forth in the hall.

There were no words that Ruby could share that would make Mary Margaret feel better, to lift the heavy guilt that was so incredibly crushing, just as Snow could not offer Red any in the shadow of the vicious Wolf.

But Snow did do the one thing that Red had needed at the time: Snow stayed with her, despite of what crimes Red had committed. Ruby would stay too and she hoped that Mary Margaret understood.

The mattress shifted slightly. Ruby, who had been staring absent-mindedly at the bedpost, glanced over. Mary Margaret rolled over. Ruby scooted down and wrapped her arms around her dear friend. Mary Margaret buried her face against Ruby's side, hiding from her stinging eyes that could no longer form any more tears, hoping that Ruby had not seen although she had for a split second. As Mary Margaret curled against Ruby, Ruby held onto her just a bit tighter.

Snow had stayed quiet because she did not know what to say; Ruby stayed silent because the truth, she knew, would not provide any comfort.

The guilt would not disappear. It will fade, but it never completely goes away. Just when you think it does, a nightmare, or a wandering subconscious, will remind you, summoning up that guilty all over again. There was no reasoning with such an overpowering weight. Red did not mean to harm so many people, she did not want to, but blood had still been split and there was no coming back from it. You come to live with it, thought. It misleadingly feels easier to deal with. There would even be moments where you think you have yourself convinced that you were doing the right thing. You could justify your actions: you were protecting your loves one, your family.

But murder was still murder, whether the unfortunate soul was a former love, a recently discovered mother, royal guards, or a sorceress, hell bent on obtaining unfathomable power.

It still haunted, it still remained, regardless if the intentions were true, if the action was unaware, or if meant the safety of loved ones from the same fate. The action still remained done, a life taken by a remorseful hand, and there was no getting it back.

Dead was dead.

A dry heave pulled Ruby away from the thoughts she had lost herself in. Tucking her chin, Ruby lowered her head to place a kiss on top of Mary Margaret's. Mary Margaret snaked her arms around Ruby's waist and held onto her just as tightly as Ruby did. Ruby ran her hand up and down her friend's arm soothingly.

Still, no words were exchanged. Whatever Ruby could say would only seem inhumane. How could something so crushingly terrible even begin to vanish? How could someone even believe that it gets easier? It was still fresh, still suffocating; the idea of a life once lived was so beyond reach, not that you'd be able to ever reach it once again. You'd only have it so close to your grasp and no matter how much you jumped and clawed at it, you would never obtain it again.

Mary Margaret would have to learn how to live with herself, just as Ruby had. She was protecting her family, just as Red had been protecting Snow. For now, however, it would be hard to ignore that loud voice in her mind, reminding her that she was nothing but a murderer, that everything she had done before, how innocent she once was, no longer mattered because she was a _murderer_. One day, that voice would not be so loud, but it would never limit itself to an inaudible whisper, as desperate as she wished.

To sugarcoat any aspect for Mary Margaret's sake would be lying. There will be nightmares full of terrifying cries, moments and pangs of unbearable guilt when she'd least expect it, but there was a single promise that Ruby could make.

"I'm here for you, Snow."

**End**


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